Disc Medicine CFO Sells $720k Worth of Shares Amid FDA Rejection

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • Jean Franchi sold 11,156 shares of common stock in open-market transactions for a total value of ~$720,000, with an average price around $64.51 per share on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18, 2026.

  • The sale represented 13.52% of Franchi's direct holdings, reducing direct ownership from 82,499 to 71,343 shares.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Disc Medicine ›

Jean M. Franchi, Chief Financial Officer of Disc Medicine (NASDAQ:IRON), executed open-market sales of 11,156 shares for approximately $720,000 across three transactions on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18, 2026, as disclosed in a recent SEC Form 4 filing.

Transaction summary

MetricValue
Shares sold (direct)11,156
Transaction value$720,000
Post-transaction shares (direct)71,343
Post-transaction value (direct ownership)~$4.6M

Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($64.51); post-transaction value based on Feb. 18, 2026 weighted average price ($64.51).

Key questions

  • How does this sale compare to Franchi's historical trading activity?
    This sale of 11,156 shares is larger than any prior individual open-market transaction by Franchi, substantially exceeding the previous high of 3,136 shares in February 2024.
  • What proportion of Franchi's direct ownership was impacted?
    The transaction accounted for 13.52% of direct holdings.

Company overview

MetricValue
Market capitalization$2.51B
Employees142
Net Loss (TTM)$212.18M
1-year price change (as of Feb22.33%

Company snapshot

Disc Medicine is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the research, discovery, and development of therapies for serious hematologic diseases. The company leverages strong knowledge of red blood cell biology to focus on needs related to heme biosynthesis and iron homeostasis pathways.

What this transaction means for investors

Disc Medicine’s stock has seen modest gains over the last few years, seeing three years of consecutive price growth. However, the stock is down approximately 15% in 2026 (as of Feb. 28) and is at risk of falling further after one of its top clinical-stage drugs was rejected for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Feb. 13. The drug, bitopertin, is designed to be a treatment for a blood disorder that makes patients extremely sensitive to sunlight.

The rejection was largely due to the FDA’s concerns about the drug’s trial data and the risk of abuse. Disc Medicine’s FDA application for approval was submitted through the agency’s fast-track review program, which can shorten the review process from a year to just a month.

Disc is pursuing alternative approval pathways for bitopertin, but on Feb. 27, the company announced it was cutting 20% of its workforce due to the FDA rejection. The company also released its Q4 FY 2025 earnings report, with lackluster financials, including a doubling of its net loss for the entire fiscal year compared to the previous year.

Should you buy stock in Disc Medicine right now?

Before you buy stock in Disc Medicine, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Disc Medicine wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $519,015!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,086,211!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 941% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 194% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of March 1, 2026.

Adé Hennis has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Oil prices rise as US and Iran extend talks into next weekUS-Iran talks end with no deal but signs of progressOPEC+ to consider oil output increase for April, sources sayBrent and WTI benchmarks register slight daily gainsBy Anna Hirtenstein LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday but were on track to finish the week relatively flat after t...
Author  Reuters
Feb 27, Fri
US-Iran talks end with no deal but signs of progressOPEC+ to consider oil output increase for April, sources sayBrent and WTI benchmarks register slight daily gainsBy Anna Hirtenstein LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Friday but were on track to finish the week relatively flat after t...
placeholder
Silver Price Forecast: XAG/USD jumps above $90 as AI valuation risks boost safe-haven demandSilver price (XAG/USD) is up 2.4% to near $90.60 during the European trading session on Friday. The white metal strengthens as escalating concerns over valuations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) stocks have prompted demand for safe-haven assets.
Author  FXStreet
Feb 27, Fri
Silver price (XAG/USD) is up 2.4% to near $90.60 during the European trading session on Friday. The white metal strengthens as escalating concerns over valuations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) stocks have prompted demand for safe-haven assets.
placeholder
Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple – BTC, ETH and XRP consolidate with short-term cautious bullish biasBitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility.
Author  FXStreet
Feb 27, Fri
Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility.
placeholder
Gold rises to near $5,200 amid US tariff uncertainty, US PPI data in focusGold (XAU/USD) attracts some buyers to around $5,195 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal edges higher as US tariff uncertainty spurs safe-haven demand. Traders await the release of the US January Producer Price Index (PPI) reports later on Friday for fresh impetus. 
Author  FXStreet
Feb 27, Fri
Gold (XAU/USD) attracts some buyers to around $5,195 during the early Asian session on Friday. The precious metal edges higher as US tariff uncertainty spurs safe-haven demand. Traders await the release of the US January Producer Price Index (PPI) reports later on Friday for fresh impetus. 
placeholder
Bitcoin Rallies 4% to Near $70,000 as Market Optimism ReturnsBitcoin price nears $70,000 as market bullish sentiment rebounds.On Thursday (February 26), Bitcoin (BTC) saw a rare strong rally recently, jumping nearly 4% on the day to a high above $6
Author  TradingKey
Feb 26, Thu
Bitcoin price nears $70,000 as market bullish sentiment rebounds.On Thursday (February 26), Bitcoin (BTC) saw a rare strong rally recently, jumping nearly 4% on the day to a high above $6
goTop
quote